Tired of bottling....quick question about kegs

So I brewed my first beer in well over a year and its been sitting in the fermenter for ~5 weeks and it dawned on me....I don't want to bottle any more. So I am trying to figure out where to put a kegging system. I am not so sure I can convince my wife to get a kegerator (lack of space in my house). Really the only place I can see being available for a kegerator is where I put my fermenters...an extra bathroom shower. And something doesn't seem right about going into my bathroom to fill up a glass of beer from a keg. So....

Can corny kegs sit on their sides?

I think I might be able to fit one/two in an extra fridge of ours. But it would have to sit on its side.

 

Unless you found a way to modify the dip tube, I don't think they'd work on their side... See, there's a tube that goes all the way down to the bottom of the keg, and that's where you draw the liquid from. Also, sideways, it seems like there'd be more chance of getting beer back in the gas line.

That said, take a look at a couple other options; tap-a-draft is one alternative (from what I understand, it's the system Miller/Coors is using for their in-fridge draft systems), party pigs could be an option, and there's always the smaller 3-gallon cornies...

 

They can, but the dip tub needs to be modified to suck up from the "new bottom". Otherwise, you will only be able to get about half of the beer out of the keg.

 

Interesting....This is exactly why I asked instead of just assuming (we all know what it means to assume). Bummer....


I mean I am pretty sure I could angle the kegs some and therefore get more of the beer. But probably not more than 30 or even 45 degrees (at best). So it sounds like I'd be stuck having to take a keg out and stand it upright in order to get the beer at the bottom. Which, I would assume, would result in some foggier beer at the end.

Again...bummer. Going to have to speak with the wife again about space

 

Here's what worked for me: buy the wife something she wants (in my wife's case it was a new treadmill) and then talk to her about the kegerator. If she's at all fair she'll agree. Since you say that space is a consideration maybe this won't be the best ploy but I figured maybe it'll spark ideas for something else.

 

And if space is the main concern, there's a few Youtube videos, not to mention a few DIY threads around here, showing how to modify a 4cu ft mini-fridge into a 2-tap kegerator. It can be done, relatively cheaply, without taking up a ton of space.

 

Modifying a mini-fridge is fine and all. But I seriously wouldn't know where to put it. I mean there is always that bathroom shower...but it just seems wrong when I picture myself going to the bathroom to get a mug/glass of beer.

 

Could aways use that tub/shower for a while then because you need to chill the beer, keep buying bags of ice and then explain that you have to keep spending money for ice to get the beer chilled because you don't have a kegerator/keezer.

How about outside the house? I know in a few threads, some people talk about how their unit is actually outside (on a porch really.)

 

Hmmm...outside? I do have a 3-season porch. I suppose a kegerator could go there but then I'd have to worry about the fridge not running when its too cold. Don't get me wrong here. Obviously when its freezing it wont be a problem. But a lot of fridge's never turn on when the outside temp is below 60F. Which means when its not hot or freezing the beer is not cold

 

Cornies can apparently be easily made to work on their side with a bit of adjustment to the dip tube. OldSock mentioned it not too long ago on his blog: http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2011/02/american-bitter-gravity-cask.html

 

Are you sure that's a fridge and not an air conditioner you're thinking of? I've definitely head what you're describing about A/C's. But honestly, I doubt many fridges are designed with outdoor use in mind; why would they even HAVE a cold-weather cut-off?

 

We have a mini fridge at the bar on our dock at the lake. It runs year round no problem. We have been through several brands over the years and never had one that didn't work outside.

 

We have a fridge our garage right now. When it is cold out it does not run. It isn't a problem when it is really cold out. But when it is ~40 it won't....and stuff begins to warm up. The freezer portion is useless then. Some fridges are designed to do it but many are not

 

You've got to be able to find 4sq feet of space to plunk down a mini-frig! Are all the closets in use?

 

Not to sound to critical but where do you put 48 bottles of beer and the empties that you save? A mini fridge would not take up that much more room than that.

I put my Keezer in the garage.

 

4 square feet is surprisingly difficult to find. Well...I mean of course there are spots where I could put it. But the wife wont agree to those spots. Seems decor matters more to her than to me.

I do have an extra fridge so full bottles can go in there when already conditioned. Those bottles that are conditioning, empties, my 2 fermenters, bottling bucket, assorted other equipment all fit into an unused shower in an 3rd bathroom we have. When there are no bottles in the fridge there would be plenty of room for 2 kegs sitting on their side.


Its my understanding that stand alone freezer units are more often than not set up to deal with sitting in the cold. Every single relative I have in MN all have freezer units sitting in their garage...and it gets plenty cold out there. However, most fridges are not designed to intentionally be placed out in the cold.

So it appears my choices are a stand alone freezer (making sure it can be stored in the cold) or modifying the keg's dip tube.

Thanks everyone

 

I plan on putting my 5cu ft keezer on wheels so that I can store it somewhere when not needed, and easily move it to the living room or next to the patio when I need it. Is this a solution that would answer your problem too ?

 

That's all you need -- an extra fridge. I'm not clear on why you can't make enough space in the spare fridge to take out a shelf or two and stand the kegs up. If a keg can fit the fridge lying down, that's a pretty big fridge.

You don't technically need to add taps and modify the fridge into a kegorator. All you really need is room for the CO2 bottle, a keg, and a picnic tap with a long (around 10 feet) tube on it to minimize foaming.